Bulbs per Square Feet — for Pattern-Beds or Anywhere

“How many bulbs do I need to fill this space?” That’s a question gardeners ask us often enough that we put together this page to help answer it.

round pattern-bed of
Single Early tulips, 1895

But a century ago it would have been a MUCH more frequently asked question. That’s because from about 1850 to 1920, a planting style known as bedding-out, pattern-bedding, or carpet-bedding was wildly popular.

As Denise Adams explains in her excellent Restoring American Gardens, the “Victorians did with bulbs what they did with any brightly colored flowers — they used them in brilliant, flamboyant bedding schemes and carpet patterns” planted in the middle of their lawns. It’s a style that survives in public plantings today, from Keukenhof to Disney World, and though you may not want a 20-foot floral clock on your lawn, recreating a simple pattern-bed can be easy and fun.

Spring Pattern-Bedding

In the early years of bedding-out, patterns within the beds were unheard of. Instead, each was filled with a single variety such as the brilliant red-and-yellow tulip, ‘Keizerskroon’. But Victorian taste soon led to much more elaborate designs.

pattern-bedding with hyacinths,
Peter Henderson catalog, 1903

Hyacinths and early tulips were always the most favored bulbs for spring bedding. Adams writes that “geometric beds were filled with one or the other, with admonitions from the arbiters of taste not to mix the two in a single bed.” Among the simplest of pattern-beds were circular beds filled with concentric rings of different colored tulips or hyacinths. In this hyacinth bed from the 1903 catalog of Peter Henderson, three color schemes were suggested, each starting from the outer circle: (1) “crimson” (such as ‘Vuurbaak’), white, purple, white, crimson; (2) blue, white, rose, lavender, pink, and (3) pink, lavender, crimson, white, pink.

Bulbs for Round and Oval Beds

In their 1930 catalog, the Zandbergen Brothers of Oyster Bay, NY, included a table listing the number of bulbs needed to plant a round bed measuring from 3 to 20 feet wide. We’ve reproduced part of the table below, with additional columns for bulbs planted 3 inches apart (such as crocus) and 18 inches apart (such as lilies).

If your bed is oval instead of round, they explained, “add the length and breadth and divide by two. [An oval] bed 6 feet wide and 8 feet long will require the same number of bulbs as a round bed 7 feet in diameter. (6 plus 8 is 14; divided by 2 leaves 7.)”

Number of Bulbs for Planting a Round Bed

diameter

3” apart

6” apart

8” apart

12” apart

18” apart

3 feet

120

28

16

7

3

4 feet

200

48

28

12

6

5 feet

312

80

44

20

9

6 feet

425

112

64

28

13

7 feet

600

152

87

38

17

8 feet

800

200

100

50

22

9 feet

1025

256

143

64

28

10 feet

1250

320

150

80

35

11 feet

1500

380

214

95

42

12 feet

1700

452

255

113

50

Or for Beds of Any Shape

Not every space you’ll want to fill with bulbs will be round or oval, but don’t worry. You can figure how many bulbs you’ll need for ANY space by calculating its area and then using the table below. And just in case your memory of high school geometry is less than perfect, here are the basic formulas you’ll need.

rectangular and star-shaped beds,
Peter Henderson catalog, 1903

BEFORE you start, convert measurements from inches to feet by dividing the number of inches by 12. Then . . .

For a SQUARE or RECTANGLE: Multiply the length by the width. Length x width = area.

For a TRIANGLE: Multiply the base by the height, then divide that number by 2. The base is the longest side. The height is the distance from the base to the opposite angle. (Base x height)/2 = area.

For a CIRCLE: Figure the radius by dividing the diameter (the width) by 2. Multiply the radius by itself, then multiply that number by 3.14 (pi). (Diameter/2) x (diameter/2) x 3.14 = area.

NOTE: We couldn’t include every possible area in this table, but here are some examples. For other areas, simply multiply the total square feet by the number of bulbs in the row labeled “1 square foot.” For example, if you want to fill 38 square feet with bulbs 6 inches apart, you’ll need 38 x 4 = 152 bulbs.

Number of Bulbs Needed by Square Feet

area

3” apart

6” apart

8” apart

12” apart

18” apart

1 square foot

16

4

2

1

1/2 (.44)

5 square feet

80

20

11

5

2

8 square feet

128

32

18

8

4

10 square feet

160

40

23

10

5

25 square feet

400

100

56

25

11

50 square feet

800

200

113

50

22

100 square feet

1600

400

225

100

44

150 square feet

2400

600

338

150

67

Tips for Planting the Bulbs

The Zandbergens also offered guidance on the planting itself. “Plant outside rows first,” they advised. (Gardeners probably knelt on boards to keep from compacting the soil as they worked their way toward the center.) Bulbs “planted 6 inches apart should be placed 3 inches from the edge of the bed; those 12 inches apart should be placed 6 inches from the edge.” And here’s a savvy tip: “It is advisable to plant the outer rows more closely than those toward the center.”

Summer Pattern-Bedding

Summer bedding was even more popular than spring bedding. In summer beds, exotic sub-tropical bulbs such as cannas, dahlias, and elephant ears were mixed with colorful annuals such as petunias, geraniums, and coleus which were newly arrived from the far corners of the globe.

Since all of these plants are still widely available, you could easily reproduce this exuberant planting in your front lawn today. Or you could use it as a model for creating your own summer pattern-bed. The possibilities, of course, are endless, but here are a few relatively authentic Victorian choices to get you started.

We hope we’ve helped and maybe even inspired you. If you try a bit of bedding out yourself, or see a great example of it elsewhere, we’d love to hear from you at help@oldhousegardens.com. Photos are welcome, too. Happy gardening!